Saturday, October 27, 2012

New Cantonese

I had gone to New Cantonese for lunch once, so when we had more than the usual time on one of the kids' dance nights, I suggested we go for dinner. It was right on the way, and service over lunch had been speedy.

When we arrived, we were the first dinner customers, so the server took a special interest in us. She invited the kids to pick their own exotic Chinese juices out of the fridge, suggesting ones her own son liked, which turned out to be big hits with his American counterparts.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you can guess what we ordered: fried pork dumplings and chicken soup with rice for appetizers; General Tso's chicken, pork fried rice for dinner. We went for something new, though, too: Chicken Lo Mein.

The dumplings were delicious: nicely round and meat, well browned from frying but not at all greasy. Yum! And, the soup hit the spot for my daughter, who kindly shared it with her brother. Light broth with lots of plump rice.

And, we noticed that the restaurant was starting to fill up a bit, but we were the only non-Chinese customers. We took it as a good sign.

We were right. The General Tso's chicken was crispy with a sauce with a nice kick of smoky heat. My son loved it. My daughter's lo mein was outstanding--the noodles were firm and the sauce was grounded in garlic and soy. Delicious! (She was so taken with it, she's ordered it other places, only to be disappointed.) And, I ate the lion's share of the fried rice, which was plentiful and yummy--with lots of roast pork and veggies.

Part way through the meal, my husband came by, drawn by the descriptions of the food I texted him. He finished off all that was left and was similarly impressed!

New Cantonese has the atmosphere of a bare bones, strip mall Chinese restaurant, but all that is unimportant compared to the great service and food. Look past the cafeteria tables and handwritten, cardboard "restroom"sign, you'll be delighted!